Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Brett F. recommend this piece: Loaded for bear, or wolves–both as a data point on the wolf pack population explosion in the western US and for some good points on gear to carry when in the back-country.

   o o o

Jim W. sent us a tidbit for the “Global Warming ” file: Big freeze kills at least 80 across Europe

   o o o

Reader G.G. wrote to mention that appears that Richard Daughty (aka The Mogambo Guru) has retired from journalism. There is a fan site attempting to get Kitco, Daily Reckoning, Agora, and The Asia Times, to bring him back. He recently (12/14) wrote a short piece for the site.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Be on your guard against the ruling power; for they who exercise it draw no man near to them except for their own interests; appearing as friends when it is to their own advantage, they stand not by a man in the hour of his need.” [2:3]

“Judge not your neighbor until you have come into his place.” [2:5]

“In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” [2:6]

“Let your friend’s honor be as dear to you as your own.” [2:15]

– Selected quotes from “Sayings of the Fathers” in the Standard Prayer Book, a Jewish prayer book published in 1922. (Translated by Reverend S. Singer.) Special thanks to Alex H. for selecting and transcribing these quotes.

Note from #1 Son: Don’t Panic!

Don’t panic! This is still SurvivalBlog.com. Nothing significant is changing, but we are making some upgrades to our software.

We are in the midst of upgrading to MovableType 4.3. SurvivalBlog will be looking a little funny for a while, while we are getting everything working. Things should be back to normal soon, along with some new features.

Right now, the search and other functions should be working again, and each day’s blog will continue to be available here, at SurvivalBlog.com.

Thank you for your patience! – #1 Son, Webmaster, SurvivalBlog

Lessons from History: The Immigrant and the Refugee

As a student of history, it is surprising how often the same traumatic patterns emerge in times of economic turmoil, political upheavals, and civil unrest. All too frequently, average citizens get caught in the middle of tumultuous situations and unwittingly are soon reduced to the status of refugee. Unlike someone that intentionally emigrates to better themselves, a refugee typically hits the road with few or any assets and no sure destination. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, if the 20th century taught us anything, it is that the one category you don’t want to find yourself in is “refugee.” Refugees have a short life expectancy, nd embody the risks of being tossed about by the waves of change and the vagaries of polical shift and consequent civil unrest. Do everything in your power to avoid becoming a refugee! Your surest and best course of action is to strategically relocate, before tumultuous times occur, to a region that will fare well in hard times.

Just the other day while on a cross country trip, I noticed a commercial trailerload of U-Haul trailers being returned empty to California. This was indicative of the hard times that have befallen the periphery of our nation. In normal (good) times, California was the destination point for U-Haul trailers, but now the worm has turned, and states like Wyoming, Utah, and the Dakotas now have U-Haul trailers and trucks piling up in huge numbers. So many in fact, that they must be shipped back to places like California and Arizona. My mention of this should not be construed as criticism of those who have left California, Arizona, and Florida, but rather, my hat is off to them for taking the initiative of moving to more prosperous region with better chances for employment. Good for them! They didn’t just wallow in self-pity, collecting unemployment, waiting for someone the bail them out. They’ve taken the initiative to provide for their families, better themselves, and move to greener pastures.

In closing, heads of families should prayerfully develop a contingency plan for relocating in the event of localized economic problems. Again, there is a sharp contrast between someone that proactively relocates in advance of truly bad times and someone that hesitates, and thereby reduces himself and his family to refugee status. If and when hard times befall your family, don’t hesitate to relocate. It’s better to be a year early than a day late. This is doubly true in the event of a TEOTWAWKI-scale economic collapse. We have no way of knowing if the current recession will continue to stair-step down into a full multi-decade economic depression. Be ready!

Letter Re: Stow Your Gear Securely in Your Vehicle

JWR,
I didn’t know how to post this, so I thought I’d email it. [JWR Adds: Email is the preferred method for submitting letters or articles to the blog, at james@rawles.to.]
A couple of Sundays ago, we lost our “getaway” car.

My wife and I had our 2004 V-10 Ford Excursion tricked out for anything, including an emergency kit with everything from soup to nuts in the back. And best of all, it was paid for! We could grab the grandkids and go. Might even take the kids, too! Anyway, a little road rage from some miscreant in a Toyota and it was either run him over, hit a pole, or try to get off the road. I over-corrected, flipped the SUV, only going 50 miles per hour, so yes it can happen, and wound up sliding on my top into the median.

2 points to my story:

  • My 3/4 ton Ford chassis, and the Grace of God saved me. I crawled out without a scratch. Although hanging upside down in a safety belt is an experience I don’t want to repeat. So buying a big car has it’s advantages despite the fuel consumption, in safety and hauling ability.
  • The second, and just as important an issue, is that my plastic survival kit broke apart during the turn over, and all the contents became missiles within my vehicle. A 5 lb. sledge hammer that I had on the back seat floor, (forgot to put it away) wound up in the front seat near me. Tool box, flares, water bottles, compact shovels, etc., all over, everywhere. It could have been a lot worse.

So now I am back in the market for a replacement vehicle. – Doug in Kalifornia

JWR Adds: Securing your gear carefully is particularly important when you carry pioneer tools. A sudden stop or rough road can turn an axe, shovel, digging bar, or hi-lift jack into a formidable projectile, breaking a window or much worse.

Three Letters Re: Vehicle Recommendations

Hi Jim,
One of the most common failures which will cripple your G.O.O.D. (Get Out Of Dodge) vehicle is a broken fan/accessory belt. Granted, the newer [flat, grooved] serpentine belts last a lot longer than the old V-belts, but failure will mean overheating or the eventual loss of ignition due to battery discharge, especially at night if headlights are needed.

So a spare belt and tension release tool (usually a 1/2″ ratchet or breaker bar, for a serpentine belt) is a must for your emergency parts kit. [JWR Adds: Whenever you change your vehicle’s serpentine as a part of a regular service, save the old one to carry in your vehicle as a spare. An old belt is better than no belt.]

Also consider some thick, sticky caulk that you can work with your fingers, which can be used to plug a radiator leak. The fire-stop used by electricians works well. Be sure to open the radiator cap to release any pressure (Watch out for scalding steam!) and leave it loose. I have seen a vehicle driven hundreds of miles in that condition after being hit by debris from the road.

Keep up the good work. – Larry P.

 

Hello James,
Like many others, I’ve just finished reading “Patriots” for the second time. The first time, 10 years ago, I didn’t take notes while reading it, this time I did! I have just discovered your site and was reading a post about your vehicle. While the extra ignition and fuel components are nice, the EMP (electromagnetic pulse) will very likely take out the alternator regulator as well. It could also quite likely take out your car’s computer and possibly the electronic dashboard (depending on the model). Even analog looking dashboards these days are full of electronics instead of actual, physical things like speedometer cables, or a capillary tube to a pressure switch. The computer may go into “limp home mode” if it’s not getting information from the throttle position switch, mass air flow sensor, or manifold absolute pressure switch, the crank position sensor, etc. Another possibility is that the vehicle won’t run at all.

If at all possible, for those who need not go very far to get to their retreat, buy something old like the Bronco in your book or an old CJ or Willys overland wagon. Basically anything that uses points. Tune it up, yank the points distributor, and store it along with a distributor wrench. Install an electronic ignition distributor, and run a jumper wire across the ballast resistor, as electronic distributors need 12 volts and points need 6 volts. If you have a GM product, remove the “resistance wire” that is used instead of the ballast resistor and replace it with a regular wire and ballast resistor from a Ford or Dodge.

When EMP destroys your distributor, install the points distributor and motor happily away for the next 15K miles as the EMP will not affect a points distributor in the slightest. Be sure to remove or cut the jumper wire on the ballast resistor, or you will only motor for 500 miles (Bosch) or 1000 miles (Standard) on a set of points, running them at 12 volts. Just a thought. – Bill J.

 

Mr. Rawles,
I recently started reading Survivalblog and find it very helpful. In hopes of providing some help of my own, I would like to address the question of survival vehicles especially in regards to EMP survival. I am an ASE certified master automotive technician with a background in not only automotive repair but also agricultural and diesel mechanics as well as welding.

To get right to the point, today’s automobiles have so many electronic components and control modules that there is no way to stow enough parts to make them operational after exposure to an EMP. The only way to be confident in your vehicle’s ability to function after an EMP is if it is equipped with a carburetor rather than fuel injection (unless it’s mechanical like some of the old European autos or an older diesel) and a mechanical fuel pump. As for the ignition system, electronic ignition has been standard since the mid 1970’s. However, there is a chance to stow enough spare parts to get an older electronic ignition back up and running if it is a simple design like the old GM HEI that doesn’t use an external engine control module. The best and safest bet, though, would be to get your hands on an old points-type distributor that would be installed in your vehicle if it did fall victim to an EMP, especially if a second or third or more might come.

I would also recommend a standard transmission and, if the vehicle is 4-wheel drive, a manually operated transfer case and front wheel locking hubs. The reason for this is because starting in the mid to late 1980’s even automatic transmissions are computer controlled and any truck with push button 4-wheel drive is also using a computer to engage the transfer case. In fact, virtually any automobile built since the mid to late 1990’s uses computers to do even such basic things as turn on the head lights! There is a reason that the government keeps coming up with things like cash for clunkers and emissions inspections to get old cars to the crusher!

My personal vehicle is a 1985 Toyota Landcruiser with a carburetor, electronic ignition, manual transmission, transfer case and manual front hubs. It’s not fast, fancy or efficient but it is simple to repair and super tough. The only weakness from the factory is the electronic ignition but it can be repair with just one part after and EMP or be fitted with an older distributor. Other models that I would consider for my personal use would be a Chevy, Ford or Dodge truck build before 1986 (that’s the year electronic fuel injection became pretty much standard on domestically made truck, 1984 for cars) but it would be even better if it were built before 1980 since Detroit was using some super finicky feedback carburetors after that. Most all trucks that fit that production range can be fitted with an older distributor if desired but they all definitely have a simple electronic ignition system. The best thing to do would be to find a survival-minded mechanic and get his advice and help with your plans. – Elijah K.

JWR Replies: Thanks for that suggestion. I am constantly amazed at the depth of knowledge provided by SurvivalBlog readers. I will be including some details on carburetor and timing adjustments for unusual fuels like natural gas distillate (“drip.”)in my forthcoming sequel to my novel “Patriots”.

Economics and Investing:

From Vanity Fair, on Iceland’s financial rise and fall: Wall Street on the Tundra (HT: Sharon)

Flagler County, Florida, had the state’s highest jobless rate: 16.8 percent (HT: F.G.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Federal Salaries Targeted As Private Sector Pay Stagnates

Skies Darken For Bernanke Nomination

Luxury Retailers Look To State Christmas Comeback

What People Are Splurging On

Tech Stocks Pull Market Out Of 3-Day Slide

7 US Banks Seized, 2009 Total Now 140

66% Americans Not Confident Their Children’s Lives Will Be Better

Greenspan: Threat To U.S. Fiscal Stability Larger Than Ever

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become." – Brooke Foss Westcott

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 26 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Seven Basic Steps, by Jared O.

I first became fascinated with the art of preparedness in my youth during the days and months leading up to Y2K. The thought societal meltdown and global collapse seemed almost too much to bear, hard to wrap my head around. I was 17years old, just starting my life — now faced with a potential situation that I had little training or experience to deal with. But my parents had instilled in me a valuable lesson early in childhood; fear is derived from the unknown and the lack of preparedness. With knowledge, preparation, a “never quit” attitude and maybe a little luck, any situation can be overcome. Granted, the Y2K scenario came and went without incident, but I swore never to carry the same fears again. Ten years later the same feeling has swept over our country, a feeling of loss, impending doom, fear and a myriad of other things is accompanying this New Year. I started my journey all those years ago with an “Armed Services Survival Manual” given to me by my father. Reading every word, memorizing every picture, I studied it tirelessly. It just didn’t seem enough. By knowing a little, I really knew nothing at all. The potential scenarios that we face are larger in scope than anything covered in a typical survival manual. So what should we do?

The military taught me several things, but most importantly it taught me to fight the enemy that lies within before I ever face an external adversary. Start from scratch to combat your fear.

Step 1: Analyze Your Life
You know better than anyone what you are capable of, whether you have had extensive military or law enforcement training, or are a highly trained civilian. The greatest lies are those we tell to ourselves, don’t lie to yourself. By being truthful with your self assessment you will achieve more than if you are not. Determine what areas are strengths and weaknesses; increase the balance by becoming a well-rounded person. Increase your knowledge in weak areas, while maintaining your strengths.

Step 2: Location
Just like in real estate, “location, location, location.” Where you live is so very important. It dictates many of your needs and precautions. Do you live in a house? An apartment? The city? The country? Are you close to a major interstate? What is your climate? Do you have a local food source? Do you have room to store equipment? Land to grow food? How far away is your closest neighbor? Do you have a close fallback point? A secondary? A tertiary fallback point? Do you have an out-of-state fall back point? If you must evac quickly, will there be others around you with similar needs? What is the local population? State population? All of these questions have roots in different scenarios, application of preparation techniques and above all, pure survival. This is just the start, challenge yourself to continue your list of questions, learn why these things are important how to use your location to benefit you.

Step 3: Visualization
In the martial arts I learned the technique of visualization. Really it is a continuation of using your childhood imagination. Develop that skill and it will provide you answers to questions that you never even knew to even ask. Start by picking a scenario an EMP attack, economic meltdown, a nuclear surface detonation; go through your day such as that event took place. By imagining what would be changed in your lifestyle you will be able to determine what holes need to be plugged. You don’t have to even tell a soul what you are doing, but it will remove the “rose colored glasses” that sit upon your face. Life takes a turn for the worse when there is no available food, water, medicines. The possibility of having to leave your home makes it even more challenging.

Step 4: Equipment
Weapons. Some people shy away from this, but defense is always necessary. Don’t make this complicated, you don’t need a tricked out $4,000 battle rifle, you do need something battle proven. It also needs to use a cartridge that can always be replenished. Stick with NATO standard calibers: 5.56×45, 7.62×51, 9mm Parabellum or other very common cartridges like .45 ACP, 40 S&W, 12ga. I prefer the 7.62×51 (somewhat interchangeable with .308 Winchester) over the 5.56×45 (somewhat interchangeable with .223 Remington) due to its increased range and power. Same goes with the 40 S&W over the 9mm. I try to stay away from Soviet cartridges; once that supply is dried up it will be gone forever. Most importantly go get professionally trained. Clothing and other gear, make sure it is good quality. Nothing is more demoralizing than when your equipment fails when you most need it. Test it, train with it, and make the equipment prove its worth to you before you stake your life on it. You will figure out what you need through research and training.

Step 5: Medical Concerns
Learn basic first aid. This should go without saying; we should all know basic first aid. Get some medical supplies on hand, Israeli bandages, a one-hand tourniquet, clotting agent (if trained), sutures (if trained), antibiotics, your daily meds. Again, learn how to use these things correctly. If you don’t, you could cause more harm than good. Staying healthy is of great concern. Dying from something as simple as an infection is very possible in a survival situation. Knowing basic things such as what antiseptics work best or complex techniques like wound debridement are invaluable.

Step 6: Physical Fitness
An old SEAL once told me, “Guys need to push themselves away from the desk, put down the ‘tactical wannabe gear,’ and run!” There is incredible amount of truth to this statement. You need to be physically fit to handle the stress encountered in a survival situation. Start working out regularly! All of the gear in the world can’t help you if you are not physically able to use it.

Step 7: What’s Next?
I don’t know, that is for you to decide. Pick your scenario, study it, live it through visualization, prepare for it, get the necessary knowledge, visualize it again and again, over and over until your fear is gone. Make checklists for each scenario, to remind you of tasks that need to be completed or gear that needs to be packed. By training hard you will have overcome the event before it even happens. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have at your disposal; don’t be afraid to use it. How deep you want to dive into this is your choice, but don’t take shortcuts with your level of training, equipment or the quality of information; it could be the difference between life and death.

These are basic areas to start with, expand upon them, and add too. Remember, this is a journey, a lifestyle; not of sacrifice, but of increased knowledge and security. God forbid you encounter a life threatening scenario, but if you do, you can take comfort in knowing that it is a mountain you can climb without hesitation. One that you can guide others to the top of if need be. Carry the weight of knowledge and leadership instead of being weighted down by fear.

Louis Pasteur said: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Good luck and Godspeed.

Letter Re: Velveeta Cheese and Twinkies for Food Storage?

I’m about halfway into your book and love it so far! I’m curious about what store-bought food has the longest shelf life. I am LDS, and you know we believe in food storage, but I’m not too excited about living off of hard winter wheat forever. Can you give some suggestions of store-bought food that will last the longest. For example, I’ve heard that Velveeta cheese lasts forever, as well as Twinkies. I’m really just looking to have some variety in the food storage. Also, is there a better place to get MREs? I have a cousin in the army and I was thinking maybe he could buy them cheaper and fresher. Let me know.

Thank you, – Aaron V.

JWR Replies: First, I’d like to state for the record, that I have never stockpiled Twinkies, nor do I intend to. And, BTW, as documented at Snopes, they do not store “forever”.

I only believe in stocking wholesome foods will real nutritive value, not empty calories. There are better quality cheeses available–either fresh canned or dehydrated flakes–from a number of SurvivalBlog advertisers. The key to a well balanced food storage program is to start first with the staple foods that you use on a regular basis.

1.) Start out by simply doubling-up and tripling up the staples that you normally buy each time that you shop fro groceries, and as needed, package them in vermin-proof containers. This is usually done in 5-gallon food grade HDPE buckets.

2.) Next, add a large quantity of wheat (or a gluten-free equivalent, for those that are gluten intolerant), and then round out your food storage with a quantity of freeze-dried fruit and vegetables, commercially nitrogen packed in #10 cans, for maximum storage life. (BTW, members of the LDS church have access to their church’s local dry pack canneries, at cost. (While I have no common ground with the wayward doctrine of the LDS Church, I admire their food storage program!)

3.) Finally, add a few “comfort” foods for treats and special occasions. (Yes, I suppose, you could store a few Twinkies.) But my personal favorites for storage food treats are freeze-dried strawberries, dried apricots, and banana chips. (Yum!)

In my Rawles Gets You Ready family preparedness course. provide considerable detail on inexpensive methods for stocking up at Big Box stores as well as two methods for packaging bulk foods for long term storage. These will keep them safe from the depredations of insects and their larvae.

Note From #1 Son: Firefox Browser Content Encoding Error

In the past few months, more than a dozen readers have reported a glitch in viewing SurvivalBlog with the Firefox web browser. Firefox is otherwise an excellent web browser and my recommendation as the best browser available.

If you receive a “Content Encoding Error”, while trying to access SurvivalBlog, then there is a problem with Firefox’s cache on your PC–not a problem with our web site. This cache is the local archive that it maintained to speed up loading commonly visited web sites. Occasionally, this archive can be corrupted by your browser, producing a “Content Encoding Error.”

The easiest solution is to have Firefox reload SurvivalBlog entirely, and refresh its cache. When you get the “Content Encoding Error”, press Control+Shift+R, to have Firefox reload the page from the source on our server, rather than your local cache. (If you are using a Mac it’s “Command” key rather than “Control”). This will reload the page, and update the cache, replacing any corrupted data.